My non-spoiler review of "Joker" **NO SPOILERS**
To me what made Heath Ledger's performance so great in Dark Knight was that I truly believed that a character like the Joker could actually exist unlike other superheros and villains. There was a dark reality to his performance that made it so chilling.
In Joker, that was taken to a whole new and terrifying level. Joker's "origin story" is believable, heart breaking, and fascinating. But, let me start with some negatives. First, I really don't like how our entertainment culture depicts mental illness. Like a lot of other films, it reinforces a lot of stereotypes about people who suffer from a mental illness. They're violent, criminal, and need to be put down. Second, older film goers will immediately recognize that Joker takes a ton from "Taxi Driver" and "King of Comedy", going so far as putting DeNiro in Jerry Lewis' role.
But the positives far outweigh the negatives. It's a great acting performance by Joaquin Phoenix. He carries the entire film. I believe that he's in every scene of the movie, but you never get tired or bored by his performance. He has to make the character int resting enough so that you will watch it, but he never goes totally over board with it as well.
This is not a typical super hero film. It feels very real and grounded. It's also extremely violent and not the sort of super hero violent. Things get taken to very, very dark places. The violence will make you feel uncomfortable which is the point of the film.
If you can handle the depiction of mental illness and the violence, I would recommend it.
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